


No One Knows (Pack is Important)

by KyaFalcone, The_First_Ghost



Series: Lupa's Home and Family [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), X-Men (Movies), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blame the Plot Bunnies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, Darcy's a mutant, Family, Family Feels, Gen, I promise!!, I'm not just being mean, Not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Compliant, Poorly done fight scenes, Thor: The Dark World Compliant, X-Men: Days of Future Past Spoilers, X-men Family, feelings of rejection, slight Scott Summers bashing, stray thought I had that wouldn't leave, there are reasons though!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-25
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-02-10 08:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2018655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyaFalcone/pseuds/KyaFalcone, https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_First_Ghost/pseuds/The_First_Ghost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy has a secret.  It's a pretty big secret.  She's kept it hidden for years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING! If you don't figure out Darcy's ability by the end of this, DO NOT READ THE END NOTE. I spill the beans there.
> 
> If you want to know, go for it. I'm just warning those who want to figure it out in case I do continue this.
> 
> ON THAT NOTE! I don't plan on posting anymore unless people are interested. At the moment it's complete as a drabble idea thing that's just over two pages long.

Darcy Lewis was many things.  She was the best friend and assistant of Dr. Jane Foster.  She was the coffee/tea girl for Tony Stark and Dr. Bruce Banner, respectively.  She was the teacher of the modern world for Captain Steven Rogers and Asgardian Prince Thor Odinson.  She even engaged in sass and wit battles with Agent Clint Barton and read books beside Agent Natasha Romanoff.  Darcy Lewis was also a college dropout.  She had once had a file in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s system, and she currently was a resident of Stark (Avengers, Tony. Call it like it is.) Tower.

There was, however, one thing Darcy Lewis was that no one she lived with knew about.  Not even Tony’s research and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s very extensive background check had found the one secret in her closet.  It was a well kept one that even the brunette herself hadn’t told anyone.  Granted she went to a school full of people like her, but she never outright said the words.

Darcy Renee Lewis was a mutant.  And though she was proud of the fact, she hid it from everyone.  Mostly because it was a habit from childhood when the abilities started showing themselves, but she also didn’t want to be forced into some crazy Avengers thing because they thought she could handle it (which she totally could, but that’s beside the point).  There was also the part of her that worried about rejection from her pack (but she chose to ignore the little bit of doubt in the back of her head since it made her heart heavy.  It was the first time she had such a large pack after all).

The reason she was an unknown mutant was simple… Well not really but it was to her.  She went to Xavier’s to help control the crazy ability when her parents found out.  There she befriended a girl who could access the virtual world, with her mind.  They became fast friends and even shared a room when they were older.  When they graduated, Izabel and Darcy made a pact.  They erased the information about their mutant gene from everywhere, even government databases (they had permission from the Professor. They didn’t do anything until they did, no matter what Trevor Donovan said).  The only proof of it would be the paper copies at Xavier’s (a promise to them by Professor Xavier himself).  The two girls promised each other to never tell anyone unless it was an emergency (or Darcy’s powers forced her hand. They did that sometimes).  If they did tell, they were to alert the other as soon as physically possible.

So far in Darcy’s grown up life, she hadn’t had to tell anyone (or show either, ‘cause that was a possibility too).  Darcy had learned how to keep things under control when she was in school.  She knew how to calm herself down.  And, surprising to everyone she lived with (if they knew), she had self control.  There were times when the team were talking about crazy adventures that she wanted to join in, but she held her tongue (Take that Amanda Heigan!).  There was even a time she got totally wasted with Jane that she almost spilled the beans.  All in all, Darcy knew how to keep her biggest secret a secret.

There were things that could give it away, if anyone knew where she went to school besides just “New York”.  Most of them the others shrugged off as quirks and her job.  Since, officially, she was the assistant of Jane, Bruce, and Tony, her walking from lab to lab was easily overlooked.  Her love of red meat was a relatively normal thing in the place where Clint “I Like My Steak Mooing” Barton lived.  The fact she stayed awake during the night was something everyone thought was a byproduct of college and working for Jane.  Most of them just accepted her need to touch people, though she learned who to go to if her “need human contact” alarm went off.

Thor always gave out hugs.  Clint was good for a quick high-five.  Jane needed to be turned away from Science! at times.  Sometimes Natasha would brush her arm when she got twitchy.  She knew where to go.

So, thanks to her pact, when Darcy Lewis heard a few members of the X-Men were coming to the Tower, she will admit to panicking (And with the information you just received, can you blame her?).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this happened... Went to the mall with the female members of my family and when they all separated from each other, I ended up moving between them all. My mind goes "You're acting like an Alpha. And people are staring. You should probably stop" (I didn't) but then my mind is all "What would happen if Darcy was an Alpha and no one knew". I've never written an alpha/omega/beta story. I barely know how that all works, though I want to. I have however written X-Men... Not normal X-Men since it was RP over a year ago, but still. I know the world pretty well. Plot bunny starts bouncing around and here you go.
> 
> Darcy's a mutant. And if you didn't figure out her mutation, I just blew it. Sorry! Should have read my note!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy's first member of her pack is always the one she goes to when scared or panicky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By popular demand, I will be continuing No One Knows. The chapters will be pretty short for the first bit. They might lengthen but they could stay short. The X-Men timeline I'm going to be using (read: creating) will mess with a lot of the information from the movies, but I always think of those actors when writing X-Men.

“ _Professor?_ ” Darcy called out in her mind.  It was relatively simple to call out to the first person her mind considered “pack”.  Her parents never counted since they were so freaked out about her powers that the nine year old Darcy felt the need to run away.

“ _Darcy,_ ” he answered in her mind.

Since he didn’t _sound_ busy, she began to speak again.  “ _I know you keep tabs on me, so I’m assuming you know I’m living with the Avengers. I trust you and you know I do, but I’m kind of freaking out right now so I was hoping you would tell me who all was coming to the Tower next week. Please?_ ” she added as an after thought.

“ _I am aware. Ororo, Kitty and Scott will be going to the Tower,_ ” Xavier answered with a soothing tone.

“ _Kitty lived with us when we decided to do the pact so she knows. Ororo helped Iz find all of the times our names were in the school’s files,_ ” Darcy thought aloud to the Professor.  “ _Does Scott know?_ ”

“ _I believe Jean told him when it was decided he would go to the meeting as she was planned to go before,_ ” he replied.

Darcy let out a sigh of relief.  That meant her secret was safe.  Her pack wouldn’t have the chance to reject her.  With that thought firmly in her head, she flopped down on her bed from the long minutes of pacing.

“ _Thanks, Papa,_ ” she called to the man who had taken the title many years before.

“ _You’re welcome, dear,_ ” she heard him reply before he closed the connection.

“Hey JARVIS?” the brunette called.

“Yes, Ms. Lewis?”

“Do any of the Science! team need me? I want to take a nap.”

“At the moment you are not needed in any of the lab facilities. I will notify you if the status changes,” the AI responded.

“Thanks, Jay,” Darcy smiled fondly.

She curled onto her side as the lights lowered and the soft sounds of the woods filled her room.  A nice nap would help her frayed nerves after the almost meltdown of the late afternoon.  The twenty-four year old was lucky Jane had even made the offhand comment.  Otherwise she could have blown her own cover when seeing the three arrive.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy's been dreading this day for a week. But there's a part of her that misses two-thirds of the group arriving. It's that one-third that sets her on edge.

The day the X-Men team members arrived started normal for Darcy.  Wake up with JARVIS ready to inform her if any of the Science! team needed her.  Today Tony had been working through the night which led to a shut down and argument for him to sleep (she won by mentioning the X-Men team’s arrival was that day. He forgot and went to bed right after a few comments about her breast size).  After wrangling Tony, Darcy headed to the kitchen where Bruce was sipping a cup of tea and Natasha was reading the paper.  A brief brush of human contact from Natasha let Darcy know her nerves were showing.  Breakfast then heading down with Bruce to start the day.

The only difference was the notification by JARVIS to let everyone know the X-Men were to arrive in thirty minutes.  This caused Bruce and Tony to head up to get clean.  Jane finished her thought before heading up with Darcy when ETA reached five minutes.  Darcy, knowing she would be seeing people who know her (even if they didn’t say it aloud) had worn her best pair of jeans, which meant there were no holes or stains, and a cute red top with a tiny string belt under her bust.  Jane wore her usual jeans and sweater but surprisingly the jeans were clean and the sweater without holes in the arms.

Of course, though she prepared herself to seeing old friends and teachers, the actual thing was jarring.  The first person she saw was Scott and due to the bad relationship between them, she had to hold back a growl.  Next came Kitty who glanced around before spotting Darcy.  The assistant figured the others would look past the brightness that entered the Phaser’s eyes due to the fact Thor stood behind Darcy and Jane.  Ororo was last to walk in.  The white haired woman made a quick glance around the room and though she only passed over Darcy, the brunette knew her sister figure was happy to see her standing in the group instead of hiding.

“Welcome,” Steve greeted.

“Thank you for having us,” Scott replied shortly.

“We hope we are not inconveniencing you,” Ororo offered.

“Not at all,” Steve replied.

“We have a room ready for us to use,” Bruce announced.  “We can make introductions there, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Scott echoed which caused Darcy to roll her eyes.

The groups paired off as Tony led the way to the conference room.  Darcy let Jane and Thor in front of her as Kitty moved to walk beside the assistant.

“Hi, I’m Kitty.”

Darcy grinned internally at the way her friend was acting.  While they couldn’t act like they would in a different situation, they could still talk.

“I’m Darcy,” she replied.  “So you have some cool ability that sets you apart, huh?”

“Well, if you consider walking through walls cool,” Kitty quoted.  The two had had the conversation before, when they met when Kitty was thirteen and Darcy fourteen.

“Seems legit,” Darcy held back laughter as Jane looked back to check on her.

Before the two old friends could continue the quotation, the large group arrived at the designated conference room.  Darcy broke off from the group to the snack bar and picked up the already made platter of grapes, crackers, and other small finger foods.  She balanced the large food tray in one hand while she picked up the pitcher of water with another.

“Allow me to help,” a lightly accented voice called before Darcy felt a hand in the middle of her back.  Another dark skinned hand reached around to grab the other pitcher and stack of small plastic cups.

“Thanks!” Darcy grinned before leading Ororo to the table where most people had taken a seat.

When everything was set down, Darcy took the open seat beside Jane and Natasha while Ororo went to the one beside Scott and Clint.  Introductions were passed around quickly.  The X-Men gave their first names and codenames which the Avengers followed suit.  When it got around to Darcy she had to bite her tongue before her own codename left her lips.  From the look Kitty gave her, the almost slip was noticed.

Soon discussion flowed about possible team-ups between the two teams.  While most issues were settled quickly and harmlessly, something kept the hair on the back of Darcy’s neck risen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy isn't sure if she's anger, scared, sad, or a combination of the three. Either way, Scott's an a**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long guys. I got really busy with moving since my move-in date got moved up and I had to get everything packed quicker. Then unpacked. Then I had to get settled in and it all just got to be a lot going on. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> IMPORTANT: So I made some choices about this universe. I picture it to take place in the revised timeline from the movies. So, if you haven't seen Days of Future Past, and don't want any spoilers (which I kind of plan on doing) you might want to stop reading this. I will warn you guys in the beginning notes of when I plan on putting these spoilers, no matter how big or small. Some small things that don't actually have anything to do with the movie, but my own ideas, will probably go unnoticed. However I do plan for a chapter that gives all sorts of spoilers for. This chapter and any I think will severely spoil the movie will have a warning.

“I don’t see why you won’t even consider having a mutant on your team,” Scott huffed.

Tony rolled his eyes before retorting with, “I never said that. I just think we have enough one-eyeds in our little circle.”

“So you don’t want to work with us?” Scott came back.

“Didn’t say that either. You should really stop putting words in my mouth,” Tony replied calmly.

“Then what do you have against me?” Scott hissed angrily after drawing the (correct) conclusion about Tony’s comments.

“Oh nothing. Just that it seems you think you’d be leader of this team and really,” Tony shrugged, “we all do that here.”

“Maybe we should step away before this gets out of hand,” Darcy offered politely.

“Maybe you should keep your snout out of this, Bitch,” Scott snapped.

While Darcy, who was used to the snappage of Scott Summers from school, remained calm and simply rolled her eyes, Tony was very different.

“I think you should get out of here before you really piss me off. Calling someone who works for me something like that, in front of me no less, when all she was doing was trying to help… Yeah, not a good idea,” the billionaire almost growled.

“And she shouldn’t butt in where she doesn’t belong,” Scott snapped again.  “She’s a Bitch and she knows it. It’s in her blood.”

“Scott!” Ororo warned harshly.  The woman grabbed her comrade’s shoulder and forced the raging mutant into his chair.  “I am sorry about this,” she started.  “He is a bit short tempered. I apologize for his words.”

Darcy nodded when the dark skinned woman looked at her.  “It’s cool. No harm, no foul.”

Tony snorted at her words.  Ororo sent the brunette a glance that let Darcy know Scott would be getting a huge scolding when they got back to the school.  Probably by his wife too.

“How about we take that break?” Kitty offered with a small smile.

“How about the BItch stop pretending,” Scott muttered softly.

While, if in a room of normal people, his comment would go unnoticed.  In a room with two trained assassins used to listening to quiet words, an enhanced supersoldier, an other worldly prince, and a lip-reading sometimes-green scientist, the comment didn’t go unnoticed at all.  When both Ororo and Kitty started glaring at Scott, the five members of the team who heard the comment sent looks to the lowly once-intern.  And of course, Darcy’s advanced hearing, and knowledge of the team, caused her to know exactly what would happen after he opened his mouth.

“ _Either pretend you don’t hear it, or act,_ ” Darcy thought quickly.  “ _Oh fuck it! I’m pissed and acting!_ ”

“You little shit!” she growled out as she stood up from her chair.

Two emotions warred in her.  The anger that wanted revenge (preferred in blood and pain and suffering) and the fear that wanted her to run.  The war caused her to pause once to her feet, though she felt the familiar pain of her nails growing and sharpening and burning in her eyes that let her know her appearance had changed, if only slightly.

“What?” Scott snapped back.  “Go ahead, say it! You know they’ll send you home once they know.”

The sick smile on Scott’s face was wiped off when he suddenly grabbed at his head, which let Darcy know either the Professor or Jean had been listening just in case.  The pain he was in calmed her anger but his words caused her fear to rise.  Kitty met her gaze as Darcy jumped over the table with a speed only three in the room knew.  As the older brunette passed her friend, Shadowcat grabbed her hand and moved with her.  The two phased though the walls until they reached Darcy’s room.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” the scared wolf shifter whined.

“What do you need?” Kitty asked.

“Out. Away. Papa.”

“Okay. Still keep things like you used to?”

When Darcy nodded, the younger woman began phasing clothes from drawers, enough to last two weeks.  As she grabbed a duffle bag from under the bed, Darcy snapped towards the door.  Kitty didn’t pause as she began phasing clothes into the still closed bag.

“What?”

“Tasha,” came a whining answer.

“Time?”

“Less than three.”

“Okay, then. Let’s go,” Kitty answered before sliding the full bag over her head and shoulder.  She knew Darcy hated being weighed down while shifted, even partially.

The two grabbed hands again before Darcy led them out of the room.  As they exited through the wall beside the door, Kitty caught a glimpse of the red haired woman known as Black Widow.  They were out of the hall and lowering to the ground floor before the other woman could reach them.  Kitty got them to the ground floor and had Darcy point her in the direction of the backyard, where the X-Jet was waiting.  Kitty and Darcy both knew that whoever had gotten to Scott would get the jet ready.  Even if Ororo wasn’t ready to go, they would get out of the building.

When they reached the green yard, they saw Ororo waiting in the pilot’s seat.  Kitty looked to Darcy to know if it was their friend or something else.  The frightened woman took a sniff before nodding in confirmation.  The two then bolted for the jet.

When they reached the ramp, the doors to the building opened wide.  Darcy slipped as she got a whiff of the angry scents of Clint, Steve, and Thor.  The sky grew dark as Thor shifted the weather, but Ororo simply chased the dark clouds away from their jet.  Kitty held on to her friend as they lifted off the ground.  Darcy got a good look at her friends (her pack) before the ramp was closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so against what this chapter makes it look like, I don't HATE Scott. I actually love the character and hated that they killed him in The Last Stand (not like I don't hate that entire movie, but still). He just really fit well for the bad guy in this chapter. He will have redemption... Okay so it'll be more like Darcy finds out why he hates the pact so much, BUT STILL I DON'T HATE SCOTT SUMMERS!!
> 
> That is all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy keeps her end of the pact. Even though she technically didn't break it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the next installment of No One Knows. I've been able to get these drabbles out faster than the longer chapters for Decisions, but I'm still working. Muses picked No One Knows for the update this time.

“So who was it?” Darcy asked after she sat down in the co-pilot’s seat.  She was still tense.  Still scared, but she was functioning.

“Jean,” Ororo asked.  “Scott’s in the back.  Kitty, go check on him.”  When the younger woman was gone, the white haired woman turned to her little sister.  “How are you?”

“Scared shitless,” Darcy answered honestly.  “It’s different than with you guys. Papa, he knew before even I did that he became pack. You and Iz consider me a sister anyway. It’s different. None of them knew and I don’t know what they’ll think. They never spoke about mutants around me. Or at all for that matter. I mean, you all knew I was a mutant; they had no idea and I'm not sure I can deal with them finding out.”

“It’ll be okay,” the one the wolf part of Darcy claimed as _Sister_ assured.  “We’ll figure it out.”

“Scott’s out cold. I’m guessing Jean?” Kitty called as she came back to the front.

“Well, she does understand the pact better than most,” Darcy answered softly.

“And Scott hated the idea to begin with,” Kitty answered.

“Never could understand his issue with it,” the weather controlling woman huffed.  “It’s your life. You and Izabel have a choice.”

“Shit! Kitty, do you have your phone?” Darcy called back.

“Yeah, here.”

Darcy plugged in the familiar phone number labeled “Iz a Star” in her own phone.  After two rings the phone was picked up.

“ _What’s up, Kit Kat?_ ” a woman’s voice filtered through.

“Not a Kit, but a Bit,” Darcy answered, a whine still in her voice.

“ _Oh shit,_ ” came the reply, “ _are you okay, Lil Bit?_ ”

“No, but Jean’s keeping Polyphemus from me and Sister is getting me to Papa,” Darcy answered truthfully.

“ _Need me to come?_ ” Izabel asked.

“I don’t think so, but I’ll let you know if I do.”

“ _Okay, Lil Bit._ ”  Iz paused before gasping.  Since Darcy had told Iz where she would be living, the shifter figured her friend had hacked into the security cameras.  “ _Shit, Lil Bit. Want me to erase the evidence?_ ”

“Offer’s nice, but I didn’t exactly stick around before finding out how they reacted.”

“ _Guessing you don’t want to know right now,_ ” Izabel supplied.

“Not at the moment, no. I’ll let you know if curiosity gets to be too much.”

“ _Alright. Keep me posted, yeah?_ ”

“Yeah.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy gets to talk to her Papa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long. I was actually trying to work on Decision Switch because those chapters are a little harder to turn out than the ones for No One Knows. Hope you guys enjoy the family fluff!

By the time the X-Jet had landed under the basketball court, Darcy had gotten control of her emotions again.  Or stuffed them in a box.  It had been years since she was at the school and she didn't want to scare any of the kids.  She knew her mutation was a little frightening for the first time.

"Professor," Ororo greeted as they disembarked from the plane.

Scott was holding his head and wouldn't look at anyone as he left the hangar.  Kitty grinned before leaving to follow him.  Darcy knew Kitty would let her know how bad Jean ripped into Scott later.  While the relationship Darcy had with Scott disappeared, Jean had become somewhat of a confident to the shifter during her last year at Xavier's.

"Ororo, Darcy," Xavier greeted from his spot by the door.

"Hi, Papa," Darcy smiled weakly.

It had been a long time since she saw her Papa.  They had talked over the years as Darcy went through college, then when she worked full time for Jane.  However the two hadn't physically seen each other since Darcy left for Culver, almost six years ago.

"Come, dear. Why don't we get some tea?" Charles Xavier offered.

"That sounds great."

"I'll go take your things to your room. Hope you don't mind sharing with Kitty," Ororo commented unnecessarily.  The older woman knew the two brunettes would be fine sleeping together for a few nights.  They had shared a room when they were teens after all.

The walk to the kitchen was quiet.  Darcy didn't want to start another panic attack with her emotions and Charles was content waiting for Darcy to speak first.  The kitchen was blessedly empty when they arrived.  Darcy took one look at the table before laughing.  There was a bowl of grapes and a plate of sandwiches waiting for them.  There was also a pot of tea, black from the smell, waiting to be poured into the teacups.

"I guess Jean knows me a little too well," she giggled as she started getting tea pouring for them.

"You can be sure Scott won't be feeling too well for some time. I'm under the belief that Logan plans on sparring with him later this week, with, I believe, Piotr," Charles smirked which caused Darcy to laugh harder.

"Okay, Uncle Lo I can see, but Piotr? Piotr Rasputin? I barely knew him growing up," Darcy wondered.

"Katerine and Piotr have gotten to know each other rather well in the past few years during their time teaching together," Charles offered.

"Hmm," Darcy hummed as she placed a few sandwiches on her plate.  "She's had a thing for him for years. They aren't dating?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Well, looks like I should've told Iz to come over. Or we'll at least have to do a conference. How's Uncle Lo?"

"Logan is doing well. He's teaching history now, instead of gym."

"Oh thank God. We all hated him doing gym. It was torture. History sounds like something he'd do great at. You know, living it and all."

"He enjoys it more as well."  Charles took a long look at Darcy as she sipped her tea.  "My dear-"

"I'm okay," she interrupted.  "Well, I'm freaking out and pissed at Scott but Jean's handling that and I'm terrified that they're gonna come up here but I'm equally terrified that they won't do anything. It's... hard. I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Uncle Lo to spar with me soon."

Charles reached over to hold her hand.  Darcy was shocked to find she was crying.  She hadn't cried in years.  Not since she realized her biological parents weren't looking for her.  She had been thirteen when that realization had hit.

"I held it together for so long, Papa. I kept it hidden when I met Thor in New Mexico and when the Battle of New York occurred. I kept my shit together for so _long_  and then it was all ruined by Scott fucking Summers. And I don't know if I'll ever have that feeling again. Papa, I felt like I was home.

"I mean, I love you guys, I do. There's nothing I love more than spending time with you guys. It was just... different. They didn't have to like me. I was just Jane's assistant. They didn't have to treat me like family, but they did. And now they're pack and I don't know if they still want me. I wanted to tell them. I did. But by the time it felt right I didn't want to lose them. Now, I might anyway."

"My dear, I can tell you this for certain, without my powers. If they don't love you after this, then they weren't really pack. If they don't show up in a week or two, I plan on sending Logan, Jean, and Ororo to speak with them," Charles told her.

"You know Uncle Lo will more than likely hurt someone," she laughed weakly.  "And Jean and Sister won't stop him."

"He's resilient."

"I would pay money to see him and Steve go at it, no weapons, just hands."

"Don't tell Logan that. He might pick a fight with the Captain just for you."

Darcy laughed as she and her Papa talked.  It was mostly him catching her up on everyone's lives.  Sometimes she would share a story about her time with Jane or in the Tower, but mostly she listened to the lives of her friends and family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's where my plot likes to diverge. Do you guys want to see Ororo, Jean, and Logan go to the Avengers? Or do you want me to do my other plot line where Darcy does awesomeness then goes back to Avengers herself? Or, the last choice, do you want the Avengers to come to the Mansion to get Darcy?
> 
> Your choices will help me figure out where I'm going with this crazy story.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interlude of the Avenger kind.
> 
> or
> 
> Where Jane tells them how it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My love for Jane Foster is showing. I don't have a problem with it though. Enjoy the Avenger screen time!

"Stark," Steven Rogers called as the team met up in the main living room, "how did we not know?"

"There's no record!" the frazzled looking billionaire snapped.  "I've searched every database.  Every nook and cranny of the web and there's nothing!"

"Dr. Foster?" the red haired woman asked, causing a lull in the chatter of the men around them.  The small brunette looked up from her phone and at the deadly female.  "Who are you texting?"

"I'm trying to get a hold of Darcy. She must be terrified," Jane Foster replied softly.

"Terrified? Terrified!" Tony Stark yelled out.  "Why the devil would she be terrified? She's not the one who found out there was a mutant in the house!"

The brown eyes of the young astrophysicist narrowed into a shockingly effective glare.  "No. She didn't just find out that there was a mutant in the house. Instead, Darcy's secret was exposed and instead of trying to find her or contact her, all of you are trying to figure out  _how_ you didn't know. I'll tell you how. She didn't tell you."  The pixie woman stood to her feet.  Though she was a grand six inches shorter than the billionaire, he cowered before her.  "Do any of you actually  _know_ Darcy?"

"My Lady Jane," Thor questioned softly, "what do you speak of?"

Taking a breathe the small woman looked around the room.  Everyone present had their eyes on her.  "Do any of you know what she's been through?"  When no one spoke up, Jane explained.  "I don't know if she remembers telling me, but I know that she ran away from home. Something happened at home that made her feel unwanted. Something that I believe was her mutation emerging. Her parents never looked for her. No missing persons, no searches, nothing. She was abandoned because of what she could do. I'm not going to be a repeat of her parents."

"She told you all that?" Clint Barton asked from his spot on the back of the couch.

"Not about her mutation being the cause, but I can connect the dots."  Jane looked down at her feet, fighting back the tears welling in her eyes.  "I saw the fear in her eyes when Summers made that comment."

"She wasn't a spy," Pepper stated, disproving the previous thoughts of several of the Avengers.  "She was looking for home."

Jane nodded.  "I think she found it."

"In us," Thor nodded.  "Now she is too frightened of our reactions to return."

"Why didn't she just  _tell_ us?" Tony whined.

"I bet she  _just told_ her parents," Clint snapped.  "Guess what happened when she did that?"

"Fuck," the billionaire ran a hand down his face.  "What do we do?"

"I'll keep trying to get a hold of her. Call and text," Jane stated.  "Just me, though. I've known her longer than all of you."

"We'll wait a week," Steve stated.  "Then we go and get her."

"What makes you think the X-Men will let you in the Mansion?" Pepper asked.  Steve froze.  "We need to get contact with her first. If not her, then Professor Xavier. He's in charge of the school."

"I will be leaving," Thor stated.  "Heimdall will be able to tell me how she fairs. When the week is up, I shall return."

"Be safe," Jane called softly.  The two shared a brief kiss before Thor moved to the balcony and the Bifrost opened, taking the Prince within.

"So now we wait," Clint huffed.  He and Natasha shared a look before they began to leave.

"Where are you two going?" Tony called.

"Coulson needs to know," Natasha stated before sashaying out of the room, Clint on her heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some of you may have noticed that updates to No One Knows coincides with the updates of Decision Switch. If not, I'm going to let you all know that I really only update to two around the same time. So expect new chapters after every update to the Decisions Universe :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy is confronted by those closest to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. My depression took a chunk out of my motivation and then my computer wasn't working. But here's 1 of the 2 chapters I'm posting today.
> 
> Enjoy!!

"Al'ight, spill," Rogue commanded.

It was the first time the two women were alone since Darcy arrived at the Mansion.  And of course, Rogue would pick a slightly public place to confront her.  Making a scene in the mall was not on Darcy's to-do list after all.  Rogue also had to pick a time when the other ladies were too busy to help Darcy dodge the slightly younger woman.

"What's to spill?" the wolf-shifter replied with a shrug, not looking up from the game of Angry Birds she was playing.

"Ah've known ya for a long time, Darce. Wanna try that again?"

"Nothin's going on, Rogue," Darcy huffed.  "Now let me play my game."

"Tell that ta someone who believes ya," Rogue responded.

"I'm fine," Darcy smiled brightly at her friend.  "Really."

"Ya know, Ah'd believe that if you weren't wearing a black shirt with ' _These Hoes Ain't Loyal_ ' printed on it."

"I like this shirt," Darcy defended.  "I've always liked this shirt."

"A shirt Ah've only seen ya wear when somethin' is wrong," Rogue pointed out.

"Nothing's wrong!" Darcy snapped.

"I think the lady doth protest too much," Kitty's voice sang out.  Darcy growled at her.

"Darcy," Ororo started, "were you not just forced from the place you call home?"  At the reluctant nod, the white haired woman continued.  "We understand that it's hard for you. Your pack has never been very large, just a few people from the Mansion. Then your pack grows when you meet the Avengers. Now this. We're not going to force you to talk..."

"We just want you to know that we're here," Kitty finished.

"And we'll listen ta ya if ya wanna let it all out," Rogue nodded along.  "Jus' don't go actin' like it don't bother ya."

"I knew it would happen!" Darcy nearly screamed.  "I knew they'd find out, somehow, and reject me! I knew! Just like my  _parents_."

Darcy could feel her eyes burn and her canines poking her lip.  Then there was pain, stemming from her bare forearm up to her face, her heart, her legs.  She felt the instincts in her head silence as the pain washed over her.  As quick as the pain began, it ended.

"What?" Darcy asked, feeling lightheaded and, for once in a long time, clear headed.

"Ya can keep mah powers from grabbin' yer mutation," Rogue answered.  "Ya got ta let the transformation happen for me ta take it away."

"It'll only be for a short while, but you can let your emotions out," Kitty went on.

"You, you planned this whole thing," Darcy stated, still getting used to the silence in her head.

"Let's go get some food," Ororo offered.

The four women moved slowly from the clothing store and moved into the bustling food court.  Rogue winced as the doors slid open, letting the loud environment into the semi-quiet mall.

"Sorry, I've learned to tune most things out," Darcy admitted after catching the wince on the Absorber's face.

"Ah see why ya always listen ta music," Rogue announced, slightly louder than she wanted.

"See if you three can find a quiet corner," Ororo offered.  "I'll go grab us some pizza."

The three twenty-somethings moved around the food court until they found an area that didn't make Rogue cringe.  It was a section of booths in between two restaurants, a half wall separated the few tables from the hustle and bustle of the shoppers.

"Ya know, this with mah own touch issues makes for a fun partay," Rogue tried to tease.

"You'll probably have sensory overload until my powers fade," Darcy sighed.  "You should make sure to keep from feeling anything too strongly, or else you'll shift, and I don't think you know how to keep from shifting completely. Did you guys think this plan through?"  The last comment addressed to Ororo, who arrived with a large pepperoni pizza.

"She didn't have a problem the last time she absorber your powers," the atmokenetic replied.

"Yeah, before my power growth," Darcy sighed.  "My senses reached a whole new level after I reached Culver, when I asked Logan for that 'fancy set of ear wear.' It took me almost three years to adjust to the difference. Also, my shifting is more controllable now, but it's hard to describe how to do it, so she's gonna have to be careful about her emotions for the time being."

"Ah think Ah undastand why ya hate the computer lab," Rogue sighed, letting her head hit the table.

"High pitched whining hurts sensitive hearing," Darcy shrugged when Kitty raised an eyebrow.  "Logan gets the headaches too, but his healing factor makes them disappear pretty quick. Now, what exactly have I gotten myself into by coming on this shopping trip?"

The three women shared a look before Ororo turned to the dark brunette.  "We want you to know that you're welcome here."

"I would think so since I'm staying here for the unforeseen future," Darcy huffed.

Kitty puffed out a breath of air before snapping to gain her friend's attention.  "You have family here."

"Huh?"

"We're your family too, Darcy," Kitty smiled.  "Even if they don't come, you still have family."

Darcy's eyes weld up with water.  "I know, Kit Kat. It's just..."

"Rejection from family members hurts even when you have other people who accept you," Rogue continued.  The two runaways grabbed wrists, letting their eyes say how thankful they were to have someone who understood.  "Logan needs ta stop pickin' up strays."

"I don't know," Ororo hummed, "the last two were pretty good kids."

The table broke out into laughter as the three younger women realized it was Darcy and Rogue the atmokenetic was speaking of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *A wild Rogue appeared*  
> *Wild Rogue used Absorb*  
> *Darcy is hit*


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xavier gets a call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place at the same time as Chapter 8.
> 
> 2 of 2 for today!

Charles Xavier flipped through the files on his desk.  The telepath smiled as he held up a small group picture.  In the image showed three young girls hanging off each other.  Izabel Rocha stood on the left, her arms wrapped around Kitty's waist.  Izabel's long black hair was pulled back into twin braids that hung over her shoulder, covering the concert tee she had on.  On the other side of Kitty stood Darcy, brown hair was styled in a short bob ending at her chin, with her own arms around Kitty's shoulders.  This caused Kitty to be pinned to her sides.  Kitty's own light brown hair was piled on top of her head in a bun.  All three girls were laughing in the picture.  Charles knew the picture had been taken when the three found out they would be rooming together for the year.

The sudden ringing of the phone caused Charles to leave the fond memory.  He set the stack of photos on his desk as he reached for the phone.

"This is Charles Xavier," he greeted.

"Professor Xavier," a slightly pained voice began, "my name is Phil Coulson. I was hoping I might learn how Miss Lewis is fairing."

"And why are you asking about Miss Lewis?" Charles asked.  In her time at the Mansion, Darcy spoke very little of the people she lived with.  Charles knew some but not enough to make a judgement.

"Damn it, Coulson!" a voice in the background called.  "Just tell him!"

"Professor," a feminine voice took over the conversation, "I don't know if Darcy told you about me, but I'm Jane Foster."

Now _that_ was a name Charles knew.  Though Darcy spoke little of the Avengers, he had been hearing about Jane Foster since the internship began.  "Ah, Dr. Foster, what can I do for you?"

"Well I was actually hoping to talk to Darcy. I've been calling and texting her, but I haven't received any acknowledgement. I don't really need her to come to the phone. I just want to know she's okay. I know she has to be terrified but I want her to know that no matter what I'm not leaving her alone unless she tells me to. I know that must seem weird," Jane trailed off.

"Not at all. It's comforting actually," Charles explained.  "Darcy is actually off the grounds at this moment. I can let her know you called if you want."

"Act-actually," Jane stumbled, "we were kind of wondering if we could come see her. All of us that is. I mean not everyone has to go but at least enough we can talk to her, you know?"

"Of course. I believe Thursday will provide a good opportunity," Charles Xavier grinned.

"Thursday is great!" Jane's smile could be heard through the phone.

"Who can I expect?"

"Um, myself, Thor... Uh, Natasha and Phil. Pepper wants to come but she's got an important meeting with somebody important, so she won't make it. Is that alright?"

"Yes, Dr. Foster. I'm looking forward to meeting you," Charles stated.

"I'm looking forward to it too," Jane replied.  "Well, I'll let you get back to work. See you Thursday."

"Thursday," the bald man replied before putting the phone up.

" _Logan_ ," Xavier called.

" _What's up, Chuck_?" Logan responded.

" _I believe I know the perfect day to have your tiff with Scott._ "

" _Yeah_?"

" _How does Thursday sound_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *a Wild Phil Coulson Appears*  
> *Jane uses Interruption*  
> *Wild Phil Coulson is Interrupted*
> 
> I have no idea why ^that's funny to me but it is. Also Charles trusts Jane! Cause Darcy would talk his ear off about the "mad scientist". Not sure when the next one will be ready. I'm hoping to get Decision Switch updated next.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan has a promise to keep and Darcy has mixed emotions about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is actually something I wrote a long time ago that I had to set up for. I wanted to wait until I updated Decision Switch but I'm too excited to see what you all think. So don't hold back!

It was towards the end of the week, Thursday (exactly a week since her life went to shit), when Darcy was woken up by loud knocking on the door to Kitty's (and for the moment, hers too) room.  The older brunette groaned before rolling out of the bed, literally.  She landed with a thump that woke her up enough to rise to her feet.  Kitty only rolled over on the other bed, pulling a pillow over her head.  The knocking stopped after her fall, so she knew it was someone who knew her way of waking when her sleep was interrupted.  The falling out of bed had been a thing since she was sixteen or so.

"Yes?" she whispered as she opened the door.

"Thought you might like ta come see somethin'," the bristly figure of Logan smirked.  He was leaning against the wall beside the door.

"And that is?" she asked.

"Gotta come with me ta find out."

"You suck, Lo," she huffed.

A quick glance to remember what she put on for bed (long sweatpants and an old Iron Maiden tee) she nodded and moved out of the room, shutting the door behind her.  The wooden floor was cold on her bare feet, but she had spent many years wandering the old mansion in the cold.  The older man grinned wolfishly and led the way further into the mansion.

"Lo, what's going on?" she tried.

"Not gonna tell ya, kid," he chuckled.

"You suck."

"So you say, but I think you're gonna like what I 'ave ta show ya."

Darcy stayed quiet as he led her into the elevator to head down to the X-Men level (as students called the basement).  She raised her eyebrow at him when the doors opened to a rather large crowd of X-Men members (large from her stand point. Last time she saw all of the X-Men the team was pretty small) hanging out in the halls.  She caught sight of Piotr (who Kitty couldn't stop talking about), who gave her a surprisingly comforting smile.  Logan led her into the middle of the crowd.

"Lupa," Jean Grey greeted at the door to the Danger Room, a grim look on her face.

"Jean," Darcy smiled weakly at her, still not sure what was going on.

"Shall we?" Jean raised her arm, having her open-palmed hand showing the way to the Danger Room's command center.

Darcy nodded and moved to the staircase that led up to the command center.  She felt Jean turn around to follow her up the stairs.  When she reached the top, she sat down in the chair closest to the stairway.  Jean moved behind her to sit in the main control seat.

"Did Logan tell you what was going on?" the redhead asked.

"Nope," Darcy popped.  "He was pretty tight lipped. What's going on?"

"The Professor told you about Logan's plan?" Jean asked instead of telling the brunette.

"Um... The one where Logan beats the shit out of your husband?" Darcy grinned.

Darcy saw Jean's lips tug up into a soft smile.  While the wolf-shifter knew Jean probably wasn't happy about the upcoming fight, Darcy also knew Jean understood why Logan was doing this.  It wasn't for Darcy's entertainment, though it may look that way.  This was Logan's way of showing Darcy that she had family in the Mansion.  It seemed a common theme among her friends.

The brunette, though against her better judgement, still cared for Scott.  Darcy and Scott had a good relationship for the early years of Darcy's schooling at the Institute.  The brunette wasn't sure  _what_ caused the rift between them, but she knew it occurred during the summer before her last year.  All of her senior year was spent with small fights and periods of ignorance from Scott.  It all came to a head when Darcy brought her acceptance letter to Culver to him.  The team still made sure the two were never alone.  The fight had become legendary after all.  (Darcy knew since she had heard several of the students whispering about the "girl who stood up to Mr. Summers".)

"You okay with this?" Darcy asked quietly after seeing Logan and Scott prepare to fight.

The two men were in their suits with the Danger Room taking on the appearance of a regular boxing ring.  The rest of the team members taking seats around the ring.  She noticed Piotr come in and sit facing the command center window.  She rolled her eyes as she noticed Kitty walking in to sit next to Piotr.

"I don't like it," Jean admitted after starting a timer when the men charged at each other.  "But Logan promised to only take ten minutes. He also promised not to use his claws. And I've done everything I can to make sure Scott's safe. Though I understand what Logan is feeling."

"You did rip into Scott pretty bad," Darcy smiled.  When Jean turned to the twenty-four year old, the brunette grinned.  "Kitty."

Jean laughed before visibly wincing at the hit Scott took to the jaw.  "Logan's not pulling his punches."

"Yeah," Darcy agreed while keeping her eyes on the fight below.  She winced in sympathy when she sees Logan get a sucker punch through Scott's defenses.  "He's always been overprotective of me. Well, me and Rogue. Never really understood that."

Jean looked over at Darcy in shock.  Then the redhead laughed lightly.  "I guess you wouldn't see it. Tell me Darcy, when did you first think of Logan as pack?"

"Uncle Lo? Seriously?" Darcy paused before answering truthfully.  "I mean, he's my family, but that's not how it works. It's not like as soon as you're family, you're pack. Wolves in the wild only stick together in pairs and pups. Wolves raised in captivity show the pack dynamic. Logan's always been the wild one. Though I guess he's been captured," Darcy thinks aloud.  "But I don't think I ever really thought of him in strict pack terms. It's my human side that trusts him and sees him as family. Not the wolf."

"Aren't the human and wolf the same?" Jean questioned.

"It's more like a venn diagram," Darcy admitted.  "Parts of me are wolf and parts are human. There are overlapping qualities though. It's why I feel like I can survive outside of here. Well, not right now but in general.

"I'm not saying the wolf part of me doesn't trust him too. In a fight, I'll trust him to protect me and my own. But there's a part of my that knows while he's family, and Uncle Lo, he's not pack. I've never really thought of why that is. But if I had to guess, I'd say it's the part of me that thinks about Logan leaving. I've seen him do it and I know if things get bad he'll bolt. I love him. I do. There's just a part of me that is prepared for him to leave."

Jean hummed as the two women turned back to the fight.  "I doubt Logan will leave now. He's been here for years now."  Jean paused to think.  "Even Rogue has stopped waiting for him to leave."

"That's all good for Rogue," Darcy replied, "and if my history wasn't the way it was, I'd believe that. But you know me, Jean. I have abandonment issues up to my ears. I'll never _not_ worry about people leaving me."

"I suppose I can understand. But you consider the Avengers pack."

"Yeah, and I never thought they'd find out about me being a mutant."

"Is that why you're still here?"

"Leave me alone, Jean. I didn't hound on you when your parents came here and you hid in my room."

The older woman held up her hands in mock surrender.  Green eyes glared at the redhead before turning back to the almost finished fight.  The two sat in silence as they watched Logan wail on Scott.  When the clock ran out, Logan moved away from Scott.  Jean stood and started down the stairwell leading straight into the Danger Room.  Darcy turned the other way to head back into the hall.

"So, wha'd ya think, kid?" Logan's rough voice asked when she got down the stairs.

"It was an uneven fight. Scott didn't even try to fight back," she replied.

"Not my fault he didn't put up a fight."

"No, but it made me antsy."

"Well then, why don't we go a few rounds," Kitty giggled.  "Been a while since I've seen Lupa."

"I don't know, Shadowcat," Darcy replied.  "I think I'd prefer a team fight. Never did like fighting my friends."

"Bobby and I need some practice," Piotr offered.

"Iceman even up yet?" Kitty teased.

"Should be," Logan rumbled.  "Rogue dragged him down here a while ago."

"I'll go get him," Piotr grinned.

"Grab Rogue too!" Kitty yells after him.

"This'll be fun," Darcy laughed.

Kitty giggled as well before they raced down the hall towards the dressing room.  Logan stood behind them shaking his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this was entertaining since my fingers kept writing "Jane" instead of "Jean". It meant for very interesting sentences when I went back through.
> 
> Look a codename for Darcy! Lupa is the name of the she-wolf from the story of Remus and Romulus. If you don't know the story, Remus and Romulus were left to die in the River Tiber by their power hungry uncle, Amulius, but they survived the river and were then suckled by Lupa and fed by a woodpecker. The story is actually the Rome foundation myth and is pretty interesting. Complete with virgin mothers, Gods, and sibling rivalry.
> 
> I've been playing with the idea of Darcy having a love interest but I feel I'm kind of biased because of my OTP. Suggestions?


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I would like to thank Ghost for dealing with my crazy phone calls and texts about this chapter. My muse was bouncing from idea to idea, which gave me headaches. Ghost was kind enough to listen to me rant about said muse and help me with all the ideas.

Darcy grinned when the Danger Room shifted to an apocalyptic cityscape.  The two teams were separated by buildings and streets before any of them could move.  There was a distinct blue sun in the sky that let all of the occupants know their friend Izabel "Techna" Rocha was in control.  Darcy looked to her right to see Kitty's hazel eyes harden.  Turning to her left, the wolf-shifter spotted Rogue clenching her bare hands and a wicked smile on her lips.  With a nod to both of her teammates, Darcy closed her eyes and began her transformation.

The brunette knew her team would watch her back while she shifted.  Pulling on the string that led to her bundle of emotions allowed her feral side to take over.  Her finger-less gloves allowed her nails to grow and sharpen to claws, blood pooling at her cuticles from the speed that her nails grew.  Though it couldn't be seen her ears had lengthened and had become pointed, small amounts of blood would slide down her ears and disappear into her changing hair.  Hair that grew out and turned from the dark brown her friends knew to a tawny color. When she opened her eyes, the once green irises had turned a bright yellow and expanded to the point where no white could be seen.  Her pupils were blown, searching even the shadows for their opponents.   Lupa grinned, flashing her elongated canines to her two teammates.

Rogue and Shadowcat took off in opposite directions, beginning the search for their adversaries.  Lupa bent her knees and took off into the air, grabbing onto the building falling apart in front of her.  Using her claws, the shifter climbed to the top, avoiding pieces that fell.  Once above the streets, yellow eyes took in the shadows the blue sun created.  Spotting movement close to an empty parking lot, she let a short howl ring through the air.  Two quick snaps reached her heightened ears.  Rogue was moving to the parking lot.

Suddenly Lupa's instincts yelled at her to move.  Trusting herself, she jumped off the building right before a blast of ice hit where she had been standing.  Turning mid-air, she reached towards the building.  A hand shot out of the solid surface and linked with her clawed one.  Shadowcat slowed the two enough that they landed on the street with a soft thud.  Lupa pulled Shadowcat towards her a few seconds later, causing both of the women to roll, dodging yet another ice blast.

Iceman rushed out into the intersection.  Another blast shooting from his fingertips.  Shadowcat simply kept hold of Lupa's hand and allowed the ice to phase through them.  Before he could shoot another blast, Lupa rushed him, tackling him the the ground.

The shifter rolled away from her opponent.  Before she could regain her footing the pavement below her froze and raced up her body, freezing her in place.

"Fuck," Shadowcat hissed.  "Lupa?"

"Be a bit," Lupa growled as she forced her muscles to fight against the thick layer of ice holding her hostage.

 A distinct  _pop_ tickled Lupa's senses.  Before she could send out a warning before another  _pop_  came, followed by several curses from her teammate.

"So Nightcrawler is playing," Lupa grit out as she struggled with the ice. 

"Colossus and I aren't stupid," Iceman started.  "Three against two isn't in our odds."

Lupa growled as he stepped closer.  She was frozen, defenseless, and without backup.  (Not exactly a good situation to be in.)  Tawny brown hair whipped around when the sudden sound of wings caught her attention.  The sound was softer than Angel's feathered wings would bring, besides this fight was turning into a battle of the sexes.  A burst of fire flashed across her frozen limbs.  As the flames disappeared a roar filled the apocalyptic scene.

"Lockheed!" Shadowcat cried out in glee.

Before Iceman could move to freeze her again, Lupa jumped to her feet.  Grinning wickedly, the shifter tackled the stunned male.  Lupa's claws swiped across Iceman's chest before she jumped over him.  A small purple body took her place, distracting the blond while Lupa gained Nightcrawler and Shadowcat's location.  Once yellow eyes spotted her teammate, she took off towards the two fighting mutants.

Before Lupa could assist the phaser, a body was thrown into her.  The two rolled a ways from the fight zone before hitting one of the buildings surrounding them.  Rogue groaned.

"Ah think ya should take 'im, Lupa," the southern woman hissed as she moved to her knees.  "He's kickin' my ass."

"Shadowcat is dealing with Nightcrawler," Lupa informed from a crouch beside her.

"Shit. Iceman?"

"Lockheed."

Rogue laughed.  Before she could respond a sharp and shrill whistle sounded.  Lupa wasn't the only on to cover her ears against the harsh sound.

" _Sorry to cut the fun short_ ," Techna's voice announced, " _but the Professor would like to see everyone in the War Room_."

"Damn," Rogue spat.  Lupa closed her yellow eyes with a laugh as she sat.  "Izabel, does he know we're in the middle of somethin'?"

" _Yes. But I believe this is more important than which sex comes out on top... Besides we all know who the winner would've been_."

"Yeah!" Kitty yelled out.  "No way we were going to loose."

"Excuse me," Bobby interrupted.  "If I remember correctly, you were getting your ass handed to you by Kurt. And you called in your dragon!"

"Excuse me," Kitty sassed, "who was it that added a member to their team without notification? Lockheed joined without us knowing he would. We were prepared to kick your asses without help, thank you _very_ much."

A loud laugh caused the argument to end.  The others in the Danger Room turned to see the green eyed Darcy laughing at them all.  Kitty grinned before she and Bobby joined in the laughter.  It wasn't long before everyone was laughing.

"I don't know about you guys, but that was the most fun I've had in years," Darcy gasped out.

" _While it's nice to see you laughing, the Professor..._ "

"Right," Kitty giggled.  "Guess we don't have time to change."

"Does it really matter?" Bobby asked.  "He's seen us in these things before."

"Unlike some, I don't like to sit in my sweat," Kitty shot back.

Darcy giggled again before a  _pop_ sounded from her left.  Turning her head she spotted the blue furred Kurt grinning at her.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Why thank you," she smiled, allowing him to help her up.  "What do you think the Professor wants?"

"Most likely about the visitors," Kurt shrugged.

"Visitors? Who's visiting today?"

"I am not sure. There were two women and two men that I saw."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So fight scenes aren't really my strong point, but I had fun with this one.
> 
> Thank Christina Aguilera's version of Lady Marmalade for the sass at the end.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy gets to see the visitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That summary is so vague. But I'm afraid to give this away. Though is should be pretty obvious what's going to happen.
> 
> Big note! This is the end of the first part of this story. I realize I haven't dealt with the Scott issue but it just ends so nicely. So I will be writing more in this verse but at the moment this part is complete.

Darcy and Kurt were the first to enter the War Room.  They were all laughing at Kitty and Bobby, who had restarted their arguing over who would have won the spar.

“Darcy,” a voice sighed in relief.

The shifter turned her head to face the table, where several of her friends ( _pack_ ) sat.  The Professor sat at the head of the strategy table.  He was flanked by Ororo and Jean.  But it was the others at the table that caught her attention.  Seated closest to the door was Natasha, with Coulson seat between her and Jean.  Across from Natasha was Thor, who caught her eye and smiled softly.  The one who spoke was-

“Jane,” Darcy half sobbed, her knees giving out.

Kurt quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her from hitting the floor.  Darcy could almost feel her school friends having a silent conversation.  Piotr and Bobby wanted to get her out of the room, but Kitty and Rogue wanted to hear why the four were here.  Kurt nudged her with his shoulder.

“Vat vould you have us do?” Kurt asked softly.

“Lady Darcy,” Thor greeted (for once controlling his thundering baritone).  “How do you fair?”

“A little beat up, but we were sparring so,” Darcy answered automatically.  “I think Rogue and Bobby are the ones most hurt from the fight.”

“Only ‘cause your damn claws hurt,” Bobby fired back.

“Please, we were so kicking your ass,” Kitty quipped.

“Pretty sure Piotr was winning his fight.”

“We all know Rogue could take any of us out in a flash.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Children,” Darcy called over their raising voices.  “Can we _not_?”  When the fighting stopped the rest of the little group laughed.  Darcy spotted the open seat between her Papa and Sister and smiled at them.  “Kurt, could you help me get to Sister?”

“Of course, _liebling_ ,” Kurt grinned.

One quick transportation later and Kurt was helping Darcy into the open seat, before moving to stand behind the Professor.  Kitty grinned and moved to sit between Jean and Coulson.  Rogue sighed before moving to lean up against the wall next to the door, Piotr and Bobby doing the same.

“So, uh,” Darcy tried to find her words.  “What brings you guys here?”

Natasha let out a snort.  “You, _sestra_ ,” the red head announced.  “You had us all quite worried when you left like you did.”

“Now you know what it feels like,” Darcy snapped back before shrinking into herself.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Ororo sighed before pulling the slightly shaking woman into her lap.

“I can’t do this ‘Ro. I can’t. I don’t want to see it. I _can’t_ see it from them,” Darcy sobbed.

“Hush now,” Ororo whispered.  “It’s alright. It’s alright, Darcy.”

“Oh, Darcy,” Jane gasped.  “Darcy, honey, look at me.”  The twenty-four year old lifted her head from her sister’s shoulder to peer at her friend.  “I don’t care _what_ the others think. Where you go, I go.”

Something in Darcy eased upon hearing her words repeated to her.  Jane had been worried Darcy wouldn’t go to the Tower with her.  Darcy had told her those words.  _Where you go, I go._   Another sob ripped out of her.  Ororo tightened her hold just a little (she knew how much it helped to know her pack was near).

“ _Sestra_ ,” the cool voice of the Black Widow grabbed the shifter’s attention, “that title has been yours for some time now. I could never think of you as anything but.”

“You sure about that?” Darcy sobbed.

“Quite,” Natasha glared.  “You are my little sister, though it seems I’ll have to share you.”  The deadly red head nodded to Ororo.

The white haired woman smiled thankfully.  “I’m not sure where you fall in the pack, but I’m glad to know there’s someone I can trust to protect her at the Tower.”

“Oh God, don’t tell me you two are going to conspire,” Darcy laughed weakly.

“I think Iz, Rogue and I can help,” Kitty grinned.

“Iz?” Jane asked.

“Izabel Rocha,” Professor Xavier answered.  “Another former student and a good friend of Darcy’s.”

“ _I would hope I’m more than just a_ good _friend_ ,” Izabel interrupted from the phone in the middle of the table.

“Iz a Star!” Kitty laughed.

“ _Hey, Kit Kat. And to answer the unasked question I’m sure is on Lady Natasha’s mind, my gift is the ability to access digital databases through my mind. I’m actually listening in from a café in Seattle_.”

“Izabel is the reason there isn’t any digital copies of my school records,” Darcy explained with a hiccup.  “She and I wanted to live a normal life and when we were graduating from here, there didn’t seem to be a place for mutants.”

“So you made it so no one knew,” Natasha nodded.  “Explains a lot. Thank you Ms. Rocha.”

“ _Iz or Izabel, please. Or if you’re feeling froggy, Goddess Divine_.”

The younger group laughed at the old joke.

“If you’re a goddess, I must be the master,” Darcy laughingly continued.

“Ain’t it ‘mistress’?” Rogue quoted herself.

“She’s the Mastress!” Kitty exclaimed, resulting in the four girls returning to laughter.

“They do this often?” Natasha asked Ororo.

The atmokenetic nodded.  “It’s common for them to repeat conversations. I believe Darcy and Kitty replayed the time they met when we were at the Tower.”

“I had wondered about that,” Jane giggled.

“Feeling better?” Ororo asked softly.

Darcy hummed.  “Yeah, but do you mind if I…”

Ororo tightened the arms circling Darcy’s waist.  “Of course not.”  Darcy grinned up at the older woman.

“Ms. Lewis,” Phil Coulson called for her attention.

“Son of Coul,” Darcy responded, looking at the man.

“I want you to know that everyone in the Tower understands why you kept your secret. I’m sorry it came out the way it did. If you feel more comfortable here, then we understand that too. However,” Phil coughed into his fist.

“We want you to know that _we_ want you to come home,” Natasha finished.

“How?” Darcy asked, looking at the four.

“Remember your birthday in New Mexico?” Jane asked with a smile.

“How could I forget? I almost told you my secret then.”

“I put two and two together. Surprisingly, it equaled four,” Jane teased lightly.  Darcy laughed.

“Your birthday?” Jean asked quietly.

“Oh, we got drunk and I told Jane-y about my terrible biologicals and almost told her _why_ I ran. Mutant plus runaway equals Darcy,” the shifter responded.

“We will need to fix this need to run,” Natasha stated.  “Or rather, next time I will not give you time to react.”

“Scary,” Bobby stated, wide eyed from beside his girlfriend.

Rogue laughed.  “Well, Hun, she’s called the Black Widow fer a reason.”

“I don’t think you could stop me,” Darcy stated simply.

Natasha tilted her head slightly.  “Perhaps, but there are enough on my side that it would be made difficult. I don’t take kindly to my _sestrichka_ running from me.”

Darcy lowered her eyes against the green gaze of her (slightly) enraged sister.  Even the wolf part of her realized it had been a bad move (in hindsight. But hindsight is always 20/20).  Also, pack hierarchy would put Natasha above her so… yeah bad move all ‘round.

“I can come back to the den?” Darcy asked quietly.  When she realized what she said she cursed.  “I mean the Tower!”

“Yes, _sestrichka_ , you can come home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sestra - sister  
> sestrichka - little sister
> 
> You know, I had planned for this to be all Jane/Darcy friendship feels but then... Natasha. Natasha wanted people to know that she was pack, because apparently she understands the pack thing because she understood what Darcy meant by den. Which is kinda weird because technically they don't really know what her mutation is... Hmmmmm. Well then...
> 
> And Ororo and Charles totes accept Natasha in the pack. Even Lupa accepts this.
> 
> And yes I consider Lupa and Darcy different. Darcy is the human part of the venn diagram. Lupa is the wolf part.


End file.
